writing craft | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Here’s the thing I found today: I love Twitter.

I love how this HUGE community of people come together and share thoughts on just about everything. I follow lots of writers, editors, and publishers, so I find tons of tweets relating to the subject I love best. And I LOVE how these folks find submission opportunities, or book giveaways, or funny little videos or vastly interesting blog posts that I would never find myself.

But I also hate Twitter. Because when I sit down at my little desk, telling myself that I will only look at Twitter (and if I’m being perfectly honest, Facebook, too) for fifteen minutes, PROMISE, and then I get up to stretch TWO HOURS later, I am not happy.

But a part of me is happy. Because I’ve learned so much that I didn’t know before. It’s just that I’m paying for that knowledge when I finally finish my To Do list at 12:30 AM. Whew. Anyway, that’s how I found a tweet that took me to Steve Buttry’s blog.

Steve Buttry happened to be interviewing Roy Peter Clark, the man behind Writing Tools, which was published as a book–and now Mr. Clark has a blog of that name over at Poynter.

Of course, you can peruse all those delightful links, because really, there’s lots of good writing stuff there. Or you can go directly to this shortcut of the 50 Writing Tools, Quick List. Where you will find that number 2: Order words for emphasis, is the rule that Mr. Clark finds terribly important for all writers.

In the end, it was all worth it, right? (Or…It was all worth it, in the end. Right?)

I’m pretty sure I live in Georgia. But I’m wondering if I’ve slipped into some alternate universe. I mean, there’s STILL a couple inches of snow on the ground and brrrr! Baby, it’s cold outside. So, I bundled up to take a little trek, seeing as how I’m stuck in this freezing universe at the moment.

It wasn’t horrible, I suppose. I dressed in layers. That’s the trick. Which brings me to Snow Writing Lesson, Part II: Layers.

Without layers, I can step outside for the journey, but I won’t get far before I give up. Better to be prepared for the adventure. Pull on that thermal shirt, and then a flannel shirt, and then the toasty, knitted scarf, and finally my extra-thick, winter coat. Maybe even that goofy stocking cap. All those layers make a difference.

What about your adventurous novel? Or your short trek of a story? Have you added all the layers you need to make the difference between a richly woven, complex tale or a one-dimensional, static fizzle-out? You might want to start with your characters.

Characters can add a ton of texture. Multi-dimensional characters are interesting, believable, and keep the reader hooked. Flat characters, not so much. You might want to check out Darcy Pattison’s Checklist of 17 Character Qualities (and maybe even the related posts.) I heard Darcy speak at a conference; she’s a pretty multi-dimensional character herself.

Or take a look at the Character Workshop offered by Holly Lisle. Lots of interesting story paths to consider when answering those questions.

Bottom line: Bundle up your writing in warm layers. Then, your readers will follow your story anywhere. (Um, maybe not into some freezing alternate universe where it’s crazy cold like Georgia. But that could just be me.)